Extension Renewable Natural Resources Team

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Maple Syrup

The maple industry produces a wide-range of quality products with most production still going into syrup.

Native Americans were the first people to enjoy maple sugar. When settlements
of North Americans began, sugaring expanded rapidly. Until tropical sugar
sources became easily accessible, maple sugar ruled as a sweetener. With
the increase in availability of imported sugar, the maple industry switched
to the production of syrup.
Maple syrup is considered by many to be the ultimate natural product.

Anybody that has
access to a few healthy, tappable (10 inch or bigger) maples can make maple
syrup. Red, sugar, black, silver, and several others can be used;
however, sugar and black are the best. Maple sugaring can vary from extremely
small scale hobbyist that only tap one or two trees to operations with more than
10,000 taps. As with all enterprises, the best way to get into sugaring is to
start as a hobbyist or work at a larger operation. After you have learned the
"business," your enterprise will have a greater chance of success.